The past 6 months have been all about platform migrations. Thanks to my previous blog posts and of course our years of experience with Lightspeed and Mijnwebwinkel, entrepreneurs suddenly knew where to find us. Not without reason, of course, because Shopify has only really been in the spotlight in the Netherlands since the beginning of this year. And real online entrepreneurs have been watching the system for some time, but are waiting for the right time to switch. That seemed to be the case this year.

As we learned in Canada during Shopify Unite, Shopify is working hard and we can overcome many of the challenges we are currently facing at the end of this year when all new features are launched.
But that's not what it's about now. We completed three huge migrations in just a few months. (In addition to another twenty major projects in Lightspeed, such as the migration of this and 4 more web shops of Most Wanted DJs from Magento)

During the recent migration we came across many new things. Asking questions and mapping everything from start to finish is the key to a successful migration. Something that seems like a 'simple' migration for a customer can result in a fiasco when you discover too late that dozens of parties are still involved and no thought has been given to, for example, the entire online marketing part, including all kinds of external links and integrations. Depending on the export options within the current platform, we migrate to Shopify in 1 language as standard. Furthermore, it is the customer's responsibility to ensure a clean base shop. So old articles are removed, or a time is chosen when the collection is as up-to-date as possible so that no 'unwanted content' is included in the export/import.
Exact time for export/import can only be inventoried after the possibilities have been examined in the current system (e.g. by means of test export)

What do we include in a 'standard' migration?
General pages / content
• Legal (general terms and conditions, disclaimer, shipping information, returns, privacy policy)
• Other content pages based on current shop
• Blog in consultation
Products we migrate
• Item description
• Meta title + description
• Product photos + alt tags (standard 1 photo)
• Variants
• EAN / Barcodes
Collections
• Collections / Categories (in consultation, discuss in advance)
• Tagging (used in Shopify for filters)
• Please note that this will be discussed thoroughly in advance and if a structure needs to be adjusted, this will be discussed. Shopify works with smart collections and manual collections. A choice must also be made in advance
Menu structure
• Based on current shop (unless otherwise discussed)
stock
• Will be migrated along
• Must be updated before going live. There are different methods for this, these can be discussed
Orders / customers
• Are not included as standard, but can be viewed separately. This must be inventoried separately for each party.
Take into account:
• Discount codes (are not imported)
• Related articles (Will not be imported)
• Product reviews depend on the review party. (Make sure this is discussed in advance)
Migration Additional Languages in Shop (2 options so far)
(The migration of an additional language is not included as standard in a package)
– Weglot (an app that ensures that the content at the front is automatically translated. You can of course make changes yourself
to the translations, but it works very simply). Disadvantage: the notifications to the customer are in 1 language. This actually only works if, for example, you use English as your main language and the rest serves purely as an extra.
– Langify (also an app in which you can translate the entire shop: all pages, articles, collections, sections, theme settings and ultimately notifications, and work with a subdomain if desired.)
Disadvantage: you can only start this once the migration has been completed, or you have to keep updating it. It is a lot of work and there remain limitations, especially in URL structure.
Multiple languages must therefore be examined very extensively. Think of ALL aspects related to this:
• domains
• redirects
• translation notifications
• translations of packing slips
• SEO translations
• Information loaded via apps
• translations within the shopping cart
The API options will open at the end of this year and, among other things, an additional translation option will be launched within Shopify.
APP and migration links
Different per shop and system. Very important to visualize in advance. Also think about any new desired functionalities or connections.

Payment methods
• Please provide us with information so that we can see whether everything is possible within Shopify
• Afterpay not possible – will be Klarna – currently
• Shopify Payments with Stripe to avoid high fees, including Credit Card, iDeal, Google Pay, Apple Pay.
Shipping methods
• Discuss beforehand and provide data
Accounting program / link
• Discuss beforehand and provide data
• Exact invoice reconciliation <> two-way. From Exact to Shopify and vice versa
Loyalty program
• If applicable. Discuss beforehand and provide data
• Loyalty Lion is widely used
Apps:
There is a lot you can do with apps, but not all apps work well together. If you work with a Shopify theme, you cannot be 100% certain that everything will work by default. It is therefore important to map everything out in advance as well as possible, test it and then assess whether the apps work well together or whether customization is worth considering.
B2B
Shopify Plus has 10 additional stores that can be used for B2B stores, and each store also has a B2B wholesale module that can be used.
• B2B module must be discussed first, otherwise a separate page can be created for this. Apps intended for this do not function 100%.
• A separate store (not Shopify Plus) can be opened for B2B, for example in the same theme that we develop
Customization according to your wishes
Clearly map and discuss per customer, such as related items and wishlist (options that are often standard, but not present as standard in Shopify)
SEO Migration
We will take part in our account. The rest depends on the customer and any other parties involved. It is important to provide input for this yourself.
What we do:
• Ensure a correct URL structure (within Shopify's capabilities)
• Collect and set up redirects (Default for 1 language, take into account subdomains for additional language. These can only be activated after go-live)
And although we are still working according to the above points, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 10% of a total migration, because it is precisely the unnamed elements that make a shop what it is. With the online store migrations below, another list was simply added that took 3 times as much work.
1. Live Helfi (from Lightspeed) Not every shop works with Channable and Hubspot as standard. Not every online store has its online marketing in such good order that Enhanced Ecommerce, Actionable Google Analytics App, Rich snippets and HREFLANG tags should also be considered. You would say that Google Shopping is standard, but no. And have you ever heard of Retail Rocket? We haven't until the beginning of this year. And then we don't even have the customer base, the links with Loyalty Lion in 3 languages, the notifications that are linked and sent from different channels and the entire structure of the URLs, including the redirects in 3 languages.

If on the day of the migration it turns out that Bold's apps do not work with the Langify translations, you will lose heart for a moment. When the VAT app also throws a spanner in the works and the Germans then end up in an empty Dutch Check out, you wonder why switching from Lightspeed was necessary again, but once up and running, the advantages of Shopify, with all its beautiful reports and a nice backend.
See the result here

2. Oolaboo shop (from Lightspeed) In 2017 we launched the webshop for Oolaboo in Lightspeed. Early next year, Oolaboo will launch a new concept on the market and unfortunately Lightspeed does not yet offer extensive subscription options, so they came up with a new issue for Someone You Know. We are working hard on the new concept, and in order to get used to the system, we have in the meantime transferred the consumer online store of Oolaboo shop from Lightspeed to Shopify.
The entire collection including page and category division was transferred. Oolabooshop received a 2019 metamorphosis and with the functionalities that Shopify offers, the shop is completely ready for the future.
View the results of the new shop here.

3. Furnpact Shopify Plus (from Magento) An old version of Magento with an outdated design is no longer possible for an international store like Furnpact. A design upgrade in which our designers are given free rein are among our favorite cases. These projects usually result in over-the-top designs, including the new Furnpact. Because while we know exactly what is possible within Lightspeed and design accordingly, in Shopify it is often a bit of a puzzle whether you can retrieve all the information you want on a product page. Consider delivery times, shipping costs, related items, USPs, different prices, bundles, specifications,

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